Show the little brother francis of assisi far away in the country of italy nestled cozily among the sharp peaks of the umbrian mountains Is the tiny city of assist assisi it was in this city of assist assisi more than seven hundred years ago that the little brother lived ills his father was n R very rich merchant francis was lila ills only son and lie he lad had many dreams of his growing to manhood manlio nd and becoming as rich a man as he himself and a yet more powerful one francis was dressed in the finest of clothes and had everything for which a boy could con id wish lie was known as a child of joy singing from morning till night songs that his mother taught him often had find you lived in assist assisi then you might have seen him at the lic hend md of a t group of other boys singing and dancing and pnra parading ding through the tiny narrow streets it was not strange then that when he grew to be about sixteen and soldiers of enemy countries invaded the streets of assist francis took his place among the dei tenders fenders and neither was it strange that one day he was taken prisoner and with others cast into a dark dungeon for a whole year he was forced to stay in prison but during all that time though it was a n cold cheerless place francis kept ills his happy nature and used it to cheer the other prisoners at last the year drifted by and francis was once more tree free free to dance and sing with his companions dut but alas nis his year in the jail had made its mark something had happened to him As lie he stood on a hilltop looking over ills his assisi tits his heart did not sing as 88 usual ile he seemed to see tile the city in a new light in those days there were many many anny poor people many man y people sick and miserable a ble francis had always loved everything beautiful and misery or unhappiness were to him ugly things from which he would turn away but now as lie he stood looking over ills his city soi somehow or other he be could think of little else but the hundreds of miserable people who needed help ills mother madonna plea pica as she was called found him one day removing from the table all the fruits and good things to eat and packing them together as if ili he were going on a journey she watched him and was surprised to see bee him take them into the street and distribute then them here bengry and there to those who were hungry madonna pica was pleased tor for she was a very good kind woman and indeed helped him to pass them around but tits his father peter bernadone was waa very angry for he be was a selfish man and few in those days dais thought of beggars as any but people to be left alone 1 I will beat him into forgetting these foolish notions peter bernadone said and he did I 1 but t the lie more tits his father struggled against him the more francis kept by himself and did kindnesses unknown to him lie ile was afraid of his father and ashamed as for being afraid but he could not seem to help it one day ho he said 1 I will not be afraid of ray my fattier father any longer and he be walked through the streets with ills his head held field high almost in rags people in the streets saw him and knowing who he was that he was a rich mans son could not understand him and so jeered at him calling him names and shouting see the little frenchy Fren chyl I 1 see him he has gone crazy 1 thus they shouted at him all the alie way to his home and his father seeing ills his son dressed to tn such a way find and henrlne tile the jeers of tile the crowds became more angry than ever lie ile was cruel beating francis and locking him in a dungeon tills this ti time TL however francis was unafraid ue he had grown from a boy into a roan man tin and lie he resolved to leave tile the life ills his fattier father wished for him entirely and to devote all ills his time to making the suffering of the world less and so did lie he become a knight in the service sen ice of all mankind a little brother to all the world cop service |